One of the most desirable features of living in Ohio is the
ability to live in a small town that offers suburban amenities, rewarding
employment opportunities, and a rural-like, simple lifestyle. These are fruitful mission fields where
churches can be planted that benefit the spiritual needs of individuals and
positively impact the life of a community.

In 2003 the United States Office of Management and Budget
designated communities with 1) a population 10,000–50,000 and 2) a largely
self-sustaining local economy as Micropolitan (lit. “small city”) Statistical
Areas. There are 29 such areas in Ohio and it is reported that the state “ranks
No. 1 in the nation for number of attractive micropolitans for capital
investment, according to a new report by Site
Selection magazine, one of the nation's leading location assistance
publications (Resource).”

Only 6 of these 29 areas are served by Grace Brethren
Churches, which means that there are many more opportunities for God’s people
to effectively engage the work of church planting. The list below identifies
those Micropolitan Communities that have Grace Brethren Churches and those that
do not.

Our Micropolitan Initiative is looking for believers with a
heart for particular small towns. We are interested in building a knowledge
base of Ohio’s Micropoliltan Areas and assisting the development of relevant
ministries in those small towns, intentionally focused on reaching “the extreme
lost first.”

We encourage local churches and individuals to begin praying
about a particular a small-town area that God has put on your heart. We would
like to be made aware of your prayer focus and help you find the person God is
calling to do that work (see Luke 10:2).

God is using a variety of church expressions around the
state to reach lost people for Christ, depending on the needs and
characteristics of the community, the passions of the lead church planters, the
vision of the sponsoring church, and the resources available. These include:
house churches, networked missional communities, multi-site extensions,
Gatherer/Shepherd/Elder or GSE approach, S.E.E.D. Development, and traditional
methods. It is our belief that people everywhere need Christ, and it is going
to take a variety of approaches to saturate our state with the Gospel.

The greatest challenge we face is finding believers with the
faith, calling and passion to spread the Gospel by what has been termed “the
most effective means known under heaven” –– planting new churches. You can read
about some of the special people who are “living their dreams” on the pages
listed under the “New Churches” tab above.

If you would like to engage this work, broadly or
specifically, please contact us; we would love to hear what God is putting on
YOUR heart.

For more information about the Micropolitan Statistical Area
designation: